


Panlie Week 2019

by LEMONADANG



Category: We Bare Bears (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-04-23 21:11:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19159063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LEMONADANG/pseuds/LEMONADANG
Summary: First Kiss, Secrets, Matching Outfits, Fankids, Wedding.





	1. First Kiss

It was worth it. He had risked what could very well have been his death, and it was worth it. 

He held onto Charlie for dear life, as if not another thing in the world mattered more. Triumphantly pulling Charlie and himself out from the toxic lake, Panda avoided looking down at Charlie's tear-filled eyes in fear he too would burst into sobs. 

So, yeah, Charlie stayed in Panda's arms for a while, his own arms locked around his neck. He refused to take his eyes off Panda for even a second; nothing but love and bewilderment visible on his face, which he displayed with a bright smile.

“My hero!” Charlie had cheered, nuzzling Panda’s neck. Only expecting his lips to meet white fur, Charlie went in for the kill… and kissed Panda square on the lips.

The blush now present on Panda’s surprised face nearly overpowered the nauseating green of the toxic waste that dirtied his fur; his eyes shooting open and travelling down to meet Charlie’s, who looked just as floored. 

Panda couldn't even say he really recoiled; his shocked expression quickly softening as he melted into Charlie. 

_I can't lose you_ , he had said. _You've always been there for me, whenever I needed you; so I should be there for you._

Wait, dang it, that was his first kiss, wasn't it? And it was with Charlie. 

…And Panda was okay with that.


	2. Secrets

“Ugh, I like this girl _so much,_ but…!” 

Currently, Panda was sat next to Charlie up in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g? No, not quite. 

“Who is it this time, Panpan?” Charlie sighed, laughing at Panda’s frustration.

“Her name is Sophia. She’s cute, but she doesn’t seem to be into me at all! I don’t know what I’m doing wrong here!” Panda kicked his feet back and forth, tapping at his phone. “What do _you_ do when you like a girl, Charlie?”

“What’s that now?” Charlie questioned, fixing Panda with a horribly confused look.

“You know, when you have a crush! You _have_ had a crush on someone before, right, Charlie?”

Panda tilted his head and smiled a smile that almost seemed like he was challenging Charlie, while his eyes still conveyed a look of playful confusion. 

Charlie took a moment to look at Panda, to really _look._ Even when he was teasing Charlie he had a smile that could make birds sing and flowers bloom, and that was _nothing_ compared to the lights that flickered within Charlie when he had the pleasure of witnessing Panda smile out of genuine happiness. 

The way the sunlight filtered through the trees and danced on Panda’s fur, illuminating it, always caught Charlie’s attention and made his breath hitch in his throat. It was comparable to the way his deep brown eyes caught the sun and turned into dazzling citrine; one look and you were paralyzed, two portals Charlie feared looking directly into because he knew that’d be the last anyone would see of him.

Panda’s voice; his voice, that voice, the slight rasp that years of allergies and sickness had worn down but managed to retain its alluring siren song that simultaneously tormented and _cleansed_ Charlie, that voice, that, within it, held a constant reminder of his feelings for Panda, the same voice he had fallen in love with. 

It all went deeper, everything went deeper. Panda, ever humble, never called attention to his selflessness, his default state up and ready to be there for Charlie when he needed him. He would grumble and complain occasionally, but never shirk away. 

The entire package, right next to him. Charlie set boundaries for himself; aware that the slightest mistake could ruin things forever. If he was sure of anything at all in this world it was that he was head-over-heels in love with Panda, but decided Panda didn’t need to know that just yet. 

So, Charlie tried to keep it a secret. He knew he wasn't doing a great job at achieving this, but he still… wanted to give Panda time. Give _himself_ time.

“...I can’t say that I have!”


	3. Matching Outfits

“Grizz, this really isn’t necessary… I can dress myself!”

“What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t help my baby brother get ready for his first Halloween as a taken man?”

“A normal one,” Panda grumbled, but he was sure Grizz hadn’t heard him. Grizz had been so excited for Panda and Charlie when they announced they were a couple that he had been taking every opportunity to “spice things up,” as he called it. This meant every holiday was to be spent with the new couple doing all things romantic, much to Panda’s embarrassed vexation. 

At some point, Grizz and Ice Bear had found the time to plan… _something,_ Panda wasn’t sure what it was yet. It was still a while before the Halloween festivities were supposed to start, as the sun hadn’t even gotten close to setting just yet. Charlie had stopped by earlier, but he and Panda had little time to engage before they were both whisked off into opposite bedrooms: Panda in his own room with Grizz, and Charlie in Grizz’s room with Ice Bear. Before Panda had any idea what his brothers were even _doing_ , he was fitted with a blindfold, hence why Grizz had to dress him. It didn’t help that Grizz was being totally weird and unreceptive to every confused question that Panda asked in his confuzzled state.

After being pulled and prodded far too much, having his fur caught in way too many zippers, and having too-tight clothes forced onto him, everything seemed to be in place.

“Okay, and… Ta-dah!” Grizz pulled the blindfold off of Panda (scratching his forehead in the process, which hurt), dumb smile plastered on his face as Panda admired himself in the full-length mirror that had been detached from the bathroom door and placed in front of him. 

“...Grizz, what the heck am I looking at right now?” 

“That’s you, dude!”

“Am I supposed to be…”

“That dude from that anime you like!” Grizz looked down and away from Panda for a moment, his expression twisted in thought. “Sasuke!” 

_“I CAN SEE THAT, GRIZZ!”_ Panda exclaimed through closed teeth, taking another look-over of himself in the mirror. It wasn’t a low-quality cosplay by any means, but as someone who didn’t typically do cosplay at all, it was an incredibly jarring thing to see yourself in. 

“And just wait until you see… hold on,” Grizz left the room, making sure to open the door at the smallest degree possible and slip himself out, likely in an attempt to hide Panda. Panda was able to make out the sound of Grizz knocking on the door to his own room across from Panda’s, and something unintelligible being spoken, likely aimed at the two tenants in the room. He heard the aforementioned door open, and more hushed whispers from the youngest brother who had answered the door. 

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted Panda to Grizz reentering the room and proceeding to pull Panda out of the room, where Ice Bear would pull Charlie to only a moment later.

Before Charlie and Ice Bear returned, however, Panda leaned towards Grizz, who was still smiling like an idiot. 

_“If Charlie is Naruto I’m going to lose my mind.”_

But that’s not what Panda saw when Ice Bear escorted Charlie out of the room, however.

Instead he saw… another Sasuke.

Pandas eyes flipped rapidly between Charlie and Ice Bear, with the latter having thrown his arms up in a _WHAT THE HELL, MAN?_ style gesture, aimed at Grizz. 

“Bro, remember the past week when I kept asking if we could talk about something? THIS WAS THE THING!” 

While Ice Bear and Grizz bickered over their poor planning, Panda and Charlie looked each other over, and… genuinely burst into laughter.

Ice Bear and Grizz, having been interrupted, soon erupted into giggles themselves as well after realizing how silly the predicament was. At some point, they had decided to dress Panda and Charlie up as Naruto and Sasuke for Halloween, but the lack of communication led them both into believing the _other_ would be dressed as Naruto. This would result in them both spending more money than they were comfortable with on elaborate cosplays. 

“Panda, you…” Charlie wiped a tear from his happy, laugh-filled eyes. “You look great!” 

“You do too, man.” Panda chuckled, still recovering. “I would kiss you, but I don’t think it’s possible to be romantic at all in this kind of cosplay.”

“Allow me, then!” Charlie threw all modesty to the wind and leaned down to press a kiss to Panda’s lips, whose startled expression quickly warmed up to a flustered blush as he leaned into the kiss, putting his hands on Charlie’s shoulders while the taller gentleman kept his hands on Panda’s face. 

“Alright, get a room, Sasukes.” Grizz had joked.


	4. Fankids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Panda is a bit more nervous than his daughters when it's their first day of school.

Honestly, it was more sentimental for Panda, of all people. Five years came and went too fast, and he silently cursed himself for not savoring it more than he had. His daughters were practically _adults_ now, for goodness sake! Soon, they’d be moving out, getting married, starting families of their own… Panda was so caught up in his worrying that he didn’t hear his husband calling to him. 

“Pumpkin?” Charlie had stuck his head in the doorway of the room Panda was currently in, small pink schoolbag in hand. “Did you finish getting Luna’s stuff together?”

“Let me finish getting Momo’s outfit together and I’ll get it,” Panda gestured over to the little yellow dress hung up on the dresser, and groaned. “Ugh, why do these schools need to start so early in the first place?” 

“Don’t be so negative, Panpan! It’s our daughters’ first day of kindergarten!” Beamed Charlie, optimistic as always.

Panda knew exactly what he’d be doing the second that school bus drove off: back to sleep. He didn’t envy his twin daughters, little Luna and Momo-- they didn’t get that luxury. At least they’d be tired out by the afternoon enough to take a nap. Kindergarten classes didn’t take naps anymore, did they?

“Yeah, yeah. I get it.” Sighing loudly as he placed a pair of Mary Janes next to the little dress that hung on the dresser, Panda went to retrieve the schoolbag from Charlie. “I’m just tired. They’re growing up too fast!”

“Aw, pumpkin…” Charlie cooed, wrapping his arms around Panda from behind. “Let’s focus on the here and now!”

Panda smiled, softly placing a paw on Charlie’s hand. After giving Panda a quick smooch on the head, Charlie left the room, and Panda’s ears were immediately greeted with the lovely sound of his daughters cheerfully greeting their father from the other room, his favorite sound of all time.

Panda stepped out of the room, feeling like a _real_ dad as he looked over his possessions. In one paw was Luna’s schoolbag, in the other Momo’s outfit. “Luna, Momo!”

Panda was sure they’d bowl him over at the speed at which they came over to collect their belongings. Geez, he didn’t even remember having this much energy as a kid. 

While Luna took her bag swiftly without much more than a soft “thank you daddy,” Momo went straight for the weak spot and, with all her five-year-old strength, threw her arms around Panda. 

“Hug attack!” Came the tiny voice below him around a faceful of black-and-white fur, causing Panda to precariously scoop the tiny girl up in his free arm, earning a happy yelp from her.

“Okay, Momo, real-talk!” Panda straightened himself out, making deep, direct eye contact with Momo, whose eyes drifted elsewhere. “Today is your first day of school!”

Momo simply laughed in response, which melted Panda’s heart. He was even having trouble keeping up the Drill-Sergeant impression, which was visible through his further giggle-tinged statements.

“A-And,” Panda paused to giggle, “You’re finally a big girl!” 

Momo kept on her own little giggle fit, squirming herself out of Panda’s arm. He set her down on the ground and gently held onto her hand to prevent her from going anywhere, and held out her dress. “Go get dressed, and come back out, okay?”

Knowing Momo had some trouble understanding cues such as the ones he might use with Luna, Panda waited until he got a firm nod from his younger daughter to release her into his own bedroom, where she would get changed and come back out to the living room, where her family waited. 

After Panda and Charlie affirmed Luna had everything she needed for her first day of school, Momo proudly left her parents’ room, wearing her school clothes like a total champ. She came up to stand by her shorter father, who placed a paw on her head; she responded with placing her much smaller paws on top of his. 

“Daddy, are you coming with us?” Luna’s small bell of a voice rang out from below, her gaze switching between Panda and Charlie, aiming the question at whoever chose to answer first. 

Panda gulped, nervously sneaking a glance at Charlie. The dreaded question, the question he always knew was coming but _knew_ could never be answered easily, despite preparing for it since before they were even born.

Thankfully, Charlie was able to detect the worry in Panda’s face, because he came in to save the day-- well, moreso Panda’s than the kid’s, but… still.

“Well, y’see, sweetheart…” Charlie got down on one knee to get closer to his eldest daughter’s height and put a hand on her shoulder. “We can’t come with you, but you’re gonna have so much fun at school you won’t even notice we aren’t there!” 

Luna still seemed unsure, but she was beginning to understand; looking up at Panda hoping he’d be able to provide some sort of blind reassurance. 

A streak of yellow outside their window told the family they only had moments to wrap up their morning routine (that they were still working on falling into), as the bus was quickly approaching their house. 

“Kisses!” Panda cheered, picking up both his daughters in his arms. He squeezed both of them close as he placed a kiss on each of their cheeks. Momo was then handed off to Charlie who would do the same thing. 

“We’ll see you very soon, okay?” Panda reassured, hugging Luna close once more. “How much do Daddy and Papa love you?”

“More than the world?” Luna squeaked, the corners of her mouth turning up into a shy smile. 

“That’s right,” Panda could feel the tears welling up as his daughter recalled the very thing they had been telling her every day since she was born. He wanted to be brave for Luna, his daughters as a whole, however, so he tried his best to avoid spilling any rogue tears. “Don’t forget that, okay?”

“Okay, daddy.” Luna smiled as Panda ran a paw across her head.

The sound of the school bus braking outside interrupted Panda and Luna’s moment as the two were forced to part, Panda setting Luna on her feet next to her sister, whose hair (head fluff?) had been ruffled by Charlie; he’d have to scold Charlie for messing up Momo’s pretty green hair later. 

Panda and Charlie walked their daughters to the door of the cave and opened it at a normal speed; their urgency to get the girls to school on time and the feeling of never wanting to say goodbye to them had cancelled each other out. 

The twins took one final look back at their fathers before walking to and boarding the bus, paw in paw. As the bus drove off, Panda wondered if it’d be worth it to call one last _‘I love you!’_ towards the bus. 

“...Pumpkin, are you crying?”

Panda brought a paw to his face, and immediately felt the wetness of tears that he had fought so hard to keep in earlier. When Charlie asked if Panda had been crying there had been no sense of amusement or disbelief in his voice, just pure love and genuine worry. 

The softness of Charlie’s tone almost made Panda start crying more, so he avoided his husband’s concerned eyes and begun wiping at his own with the back of his paw. 

“Oh, I’m just…” Panda knew he couldn’t possibly hide anything from Charlie; either he was just that transparent or Charlie was just a skilled empath. Panda sniffled. “I’ll just miss ‘em.” 

“They’re coming back home at 3, sweetie!”

Panda giggled at his husband’s obliviousness. Panda always thought that was ironic-- Charlie was incredible at reading emotions, but frequently missed the mark on social cues. “I know that, Charlie. They’re just… getting too old, y’know?”

“Let’s just focus on the present for now, pumpkin. If we start thinking too much about how old they’re getting, pretty soon they _will_ be old!” Charlie put an arm around Panda and begun guiding him back to the cave. 

“You’re right, you’re right.” Panda sighed, grinning as he gave in.


	5. Wedding

_It’s two words, Panda. I do. Just two words. Impossible to mess up._

Panda had repeated the words over and over in his overwhelmed head nonstop the past week, but they were doing little to soothe his worries. As he fumbled with his bow tie in the mirror, Panda took shaky, deep breaths to try and calm the heartbeat he could nearly feel in his throat. His bowtie didn’t look straight, but his paws were shaking too much to correct it. Grizz was supposed to walk him down the aisle in close to half an hour, but Panda felt the furthest thing from ready.

He smiled a nervous smile in the mirror before him as he took another chestful of air and slowly sighed it back out. The luxuries the hotel provided in his brief stay at the hotel Panda and Charlie were meant to be married in as a part of the wedding package were only minorly helping Panda’s horrible anxiety, even Grizz’s enthusiastic encouragement to raid the minibar and his willingness to pay for everything didn’t do much for the uneasiness that ate away at Panda. 

He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, but the fear-induced nausea and sleep deprivation were only cogs in a major system causing Panda a great deal of apprehension. 

Panda didn’t want to wait any longer in this hotel room. Each minute before he could see his fiancé again felt like an agonizing eternity, a train slowly chugging him along. 

Panda jumped, an ugly sound escaping him as he heard a knock at his door. “C-Come in!” He responded, trying to sound more calm than he actually was. 

Grizz was the one who opened the door, sending a wave of relief through Panda. Panda could notice a faint redness around his older brother’s eyes when he walked in, a clear indication that he’d been crying at some point, recently enough for the redness to not have cleared up yet. 

“Panpan!” Grizz had cheered, his voice a mix of relief and excitement. “...You look great, bro.”

Panda chose not to call any attention to what he noticed about Grizz when he entered, figuring if Grizz wanted to talk about it, he would. It was too early to damage Grizz’s pride. 

“Thanks,” Panda replied humbly, taking a quick spin to show off his perfectly-tailored tuxedo. 

There was a tension that hung in the air between Grizz and Panda. 

“Bro, are you okay? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

Panda sat on the edge of his hotel bed, careful to not wrinkle his suit. “I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep last night.”

Grizz sat next to Panda, much more precarious about the tunings of his own suit. “I don’t blame you, man. I mean, you’re getting _married_ today! For realsies!” 

Had it not been for Grizz’s cavalier attitude, Panda would have been jabbed with another hit of anxiety. He produced a sound that sounded like a sigh mixed with a laugh as he slouched over a bit, placing his elbows on his knees. “Saying it more doesn’t make it feel any more real.”

“Do you want me to get you some coffee?”

“Probably a bad idea for me to eat or drink anything right now.” Panda sat back up. “Have you spoken to Charlie at all?”

“Bro, you know I’m not allowed to talk about that!” Grizz threw his arms out in mock shock. “Hey, at least let me get you some water. The last thing we need is you fainting at the altar like you did when Charlie proposed to you.” 

Panda shivered, recalling that humiliating event. Looking back, it was actually pretty funny how his first reaction to Charlie popping the question was to hit the ground, literally. “Eugh, don’t remind me!”

He remembered hearing about how much Charlie had panicked when Panda had fainted, and if Panda hadn’t already had it in his heart to say yes, that would have been all it took. 

Grizz was already filling up a little plastic cup with tap water from the bathroom sink. Tap water never tasted good to Panda, but, hey, at least it was wet. “I’m just sayin’, dude.”

Panda chuckled as Grizz returned with the water, taking a hesitant sip from the metallic tasting liquid. “Hey, Grizz?”

“Yeah?”

Panda kept the cup near his mouth. “Am I doing the right thing?”

It was the same schtick every to-be married person asked in the minutes before their wedding. Panda knew how cliché it was to ask that, but his mind still wandered. 

“Listen here, Darrell,” Grizz began, referencing when their friend had wondered the same thing when he was getting married. “You love Charlie, don’t you?”

Panda nodded, his heart rate quickly gaining speed as his nervous thoughts were replaced with those of his fiancé, a shy smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“Then why are you worried?”

Panda’s mind drifted off to other things. It drifted off to the past. It drifted off to the time he risked his life to save Panda from the toxic lake when he wasn’t even in any immediate danger. It drifted off to the time Charlie tried to raise those baby snakes like they were his own, for no reason other than to give them the family he thought they didn’t have. It drifted off to the time he broke Panda out of the hospital. It drifted off to the time he risked his own safety and comfort to take him to the chicken and waffles restaurant, _all to see him smile._

“I just feel like…” Panda sighed, his smile failing. “He’s too good for me. He gives, and gives, and what do I do?”

“You accept.”

“Huh?”

“Even if you feel like you don’t give enough to Charlie in return, you’re still there to encourage and love him for who he is! He does all this stuff for you because he loves you, man. I think even seeing you happy is more than enough for him. Even though you’re not as bold with your love as he is, it’s more about the… big picture stuff you do for him, y’know? You gave him a place to sleep, somebody to love, you… keep him safe from humans, you helped fix his car when the hurricane was coming… You both have your own ways of showing love to each other, Charlie shows his in bursts-- grand gestures, while you show you show yours in a sort of… steady stream… of love.” Grizz had put out his paw and moved it in a horizontal line, in an attempt to illustrate his concept. 

“...Where would I be without you, Grizz?” Panda asked earnestly, sighing in amazement at his brother’s… monologue?

“Oh, shoot-- Panda, it’s 10 o’clock!” Grizz threw his eyebrows up, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as his gaze shot over to the clock. “We have to get out there!” 

“W-Woah--!!” Panda yelped as Grizz grabbed his arm, nearly causing Panda to throw his water cup across the room in surprise. He just managed to set it on the end table before he was yanked from the hotel room by his older brother.

“Grizz, please try to act a _little_ decent before you start--”

“Chill out! We’re supposed to be the last ones down there. No ones judging.”

Panda had managed to free his arm from Grizz’s grip, and was now hightailing it through the hotel to his own wedding. He thought about all the people down there waiting for him, all the preparation that had gone into everything… he thought about Charlie, who was likely standing at the altar at this very moment. Panda gulped. 

The hotel lobby was quiet, too quiet. Panda and Grizz both knew where everyone was, and that fact alone made Panda’s head spin with apprehension. The duo looked over at a clock that hung in the lobby, the minute hand resting on two. Panda was ten minutes late to his own wedding, and he didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. 

“Panda, are you ready? It’s way past time!” Panda didn’t realize he and Grizz were standing outside the very doors that separated Panda from the rest of his life. In that moment Panda’s mind was immediately ambushed with the strongest feelings of panic in his life, the force of gravity feeling like it had doubled down on Panda. 

“No, Grizz, I-I’m not ready!” 

Grizz refused to listen to Panda, though. “Yes you are, it’s go time!” 

With that, Grizz hooked Panda’s arm with his own, and used his free paw to push open the doors. 

The swelling of music greeted the duo’s ears as Panda refused to let himself look at the masses of people standing up, anticipating his arrival, which was _ten minutes late._ Panda never was a fan of being the center of attention. 

Panda allowed himself to slowly look up, however, knowing good and well what waited for him at the end of that aisle. 

Panda could feel all his stress melting away as his eyes were met with the sight of his husband to-be, looking like he was about ready to explode from happiness. 

It took all of Panda’s self control to avoid pulling Grizz along; all he wanted right now was Charlie, and to be with Charlie. 

It felt like a different type of eternity as he and Grizz closed the distance between Panda and his betrothed; the combined light in both of their eyes enough to light up the world. 

“... Do you, Panda, take Charlie as your lawfully wedded husband?” _husband,_ Panda thought blissfully.

“I do.” Panda spoke it the way he had rehearsed it a billion times in the mirror.

“And do you, Charlie, take Panda as your lawfully wedded husband?”

“Of course I do!” Charlie cheered.

“Then, by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom!”

That was all it took for Charlie to gracefully dip Panda in his arms and kiss him. Nothing else mattered right now, Panda thought as his fian- no, husband,- kissed him.

This was it, Panda thought. This was really it.


End file.
